Piracy is bad

This sign, on a busy street in Beijing’s Haidian district, is asking people to report piracy by calling a special telephone number.

Loosely translated, it tells people to crack down on infringement and to help purify the capital’s cultural market.

China has been widely criticized for its loose stance on intellectual property. Pirated goods, from software to movies to Coach purses, are readily available — and in constant demand.

This afternoon I paid a trip to a DVD and CD shop, selling seemingly legitimate goods, from classic films to the latest Akon album.

Then I asked for the new movies. The ones still in the theater.

The employee knocked on a discreet door in the back of the store, which opened up to a closet full of DVDs, from the “Transformers” to the new Harry Potter movie. The cost? A little less than $2 U.S each. That’s actually expensive. In another shop, I found them for $1 U.S. each. They’ll even let you sample it, to ensure the quality is up to snuff, which it sometimes isn’t (and is something they candidly tell you).

If the film you want isn’t on the shelf — such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” which is already out on DVD — then they pull out a binder, its sleeves filled with covert art, and allow you to select the one you want.

In a matter of minutes, they’ll have it for you. No one (including several tourists) seemed to be complaining, much less reporting the activity to the government.